Europe: Czech Republic and France Have More Cannabis Users Than Anywhere Else in Europe, Study Suggests

Most people think of Amsterdam’s coffee shops when it comes European cannabis, but new data from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) says Paris and Prague have higher rates of cannabis consumers with 11% of respondents in each country admitting to cannabis use in the past year.

The EMCDDA, which was established in 1993, exists to provide the EU and its Member States with a factual overview of European drug problems and a solid evidence base to support the drugs debate. The center offers policymakers the data they need for drawing up informed drug laws and strategies and helps professionals and practitioners working in the field pinpoint best practice and new areas of research.

In the Czech Republic, possession of up to fifteen grams for personal use or cultivation of up to five plants is a misdemeanor subject to minor fine, mostly not enforced, since 2010. Medical use of cannabis has been legal and regulated since 2013.

In France, cultivating, selling, owning or consuming cannabis is prohibited. However, legislation permitting the sale of medications containing cannabis derivatives was enacted in June 2013.

“Long-term analysis indicates that the estimated total number of problem drug users has increased by more than 50% over the last 10 years, with slight increases noted for all types of drugs, including injecting drug use,” the report explains.

The cultivation of cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, can be traced back at least 12,000 years, which places the plant among humanity's oldest cultivated crops. Cannabis plants are believed to have evolved in Central Asia in the regions of Mongolia and southern Siberia.